


Day 7 - Freestyle (Angst)

by crumplelush



Series: TommyKate week 2015 [7]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Young Avengers
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-04-02 06:19:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4049428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crumplelush/pseuds/crumplelush
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the TommyKate week over on tumblr. As it was freestyle I thought I'd do angst as it's not been done before. I didn't want to post spoilers in the tags, so read the end notes for trigger warnings (nothing graphic, as otherwise I'd post it in the tags).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day 7 - Freestyle (Angst)

It’s such a stupid mistake. The fight had gone on for longer than expected and he’d taken a moment to have a breather leaning against the wall in a convenient alley, but he’d let his guard down. Just for a moment, but it was a moment too long.

The doombot had surprised him, he hadn’t known it was there until he felt the pain in his leg. He span around on instinct, exploding the ‘bot and then he fell. Confused he struggled to sit back up again. He heard Teddy say through the comms that they’d finally cleared up, and everyone responding to verify that they were OK. 

“Speed?” came Teddy’s worried voice when Tommy didn’t answer. He usually was the first one to appear at the end of a fight.

“I’m alright Hulkling, I’m just. I fell over and I can’t get up.” The pain in his leg had dulled to a throbbing sensation, and it was vaguely itchy. Tommy could feel himself start to get woozy and he felt the overwhelming urge to fall asleep.

“I jusht. Tired. So tired” he slurred out the words. 

“Wiccan!” came Kate’s shout, which jolted Tommy awake enough to manage to give the alley’s name to his teammates.

He heard a whoosh of wings that meant Billy and Teddy had arrived. “We’re here Hawkeye, we’ve got him. He’s – oh my god!” 

Tommy didn’t know what they were so worried about, he heard the rest of his team run into the alley and he managed to pry open his eyes to see them all stood around looking at him. They all looked horrified, and he tried to make a joke, but before he could he passed out.

*******************************************************

When he next wakes up he’s in a hospital bed. He tried not to freak out. He hated hospitals. They all knew he hated hospitals. Kate had elected for a homebirth with the twins due to Tommy’s fear of hospitals. She wouldn’t have brought him here if there was any other option. 

Tommy’s leg still itched. Like crazy in fact. He struggled to sit up. The sooner he could move the sooner he’d be out of here. 

“You’re awake!” comes Kate’s voice. He turns to the left to see his wife sat in a visitors chair. She’s not in her costume, which means he’s been here some time. She wouldn’t have left him to go home and get changed otherwise. 

“Hey” he smiled weakly at her. “What’s that face for?”

Her eyes had been watering but at Tommy’s question the damn burst and she started sobbing.

“Hey now, I’m sorry. Don’t cry OK? I’m alright. I’m fine sweetheart” he pleaded as he stretched his arms out to her. He couldn’t quite reach but that didn’t matter as she threw herself into his arms.

They stay like that for a few minutes. Tommy is half sat-half lying on the bed, with one arm propping himself up, and one around his crying wife. Both her arms are around his neck and she’s sobbing a litany into his neck.

“I’m sorry Tommy. I’m so so sorry. I should have been there. I should have protected you. It’s all my fault, please don’t hate me. I’m so sorry.”

“Kate. _Kate_! I’m fine. Look see, I’m here. The doombot surprised me is all, but I got him before he could do any real damage. There’s nothing to feel guilty about.”

“Oh god, you don’t know!” she whispered, pulling away from him. The look of horror that he’d previously seen in the alleyway was back on her face, the blood draining from it at the realisation.

Tommy started to panic. “What? What don’t I know?” he said, trying very hard not to freak out. Blowing a hole in the hospital walls and running away would not help right now.

“I’m so sorry Tommy. The doombot. When he shot your leg. It wasn’t a bullet. It...” she took a deep breath, obviously overwhelmed.

“It was a type of small bomb. He didn’t shoot you. He blew your leg off. There was nothing left for the surgeons to reattach. They only just about managed to save your life. You’d lost so much blood. If we’d found you any later...” she trails off, unable to continue further.

Tommy stares at her for a few seconds. He can’t process what she’s saying. It doesn’t make any sense. Of course he still has his leg. It’s driving him crazy with it’s itching. He narrows his eyes. “Is this some kind of awful practical joke? Because it’s in poor taste.”

“No. I wish it were. But it’s real. It’s. Your left leg was amputated. It’s gone Tommy. I’d do anything to make it otherwise, I honestly would.”

He struggles to sit up. She helps him up and to lean back against the pillows, and he gestures for her to pull back the covers so he can see for himself. She hesitates for a second, but doesn’t bother to argue with him, pulling back the covers and exposing his legs.

The right one is fine, albeit covered in scars. Most of them are old ones, from juvie and previous fights, but there are some more recent ones that must have come from the doombot. By the amount of healing showing he’s been in the hospital for around a week. 

He looks at his left leg critically. Kate’s right, it’s gone. His thigh is still there, and his kneecap, but below that all there is is a bandage covered stump. He can still feel the itching. He wiggles his toes, but of course there are no toes there to be wiggled.

“Oh” he says, before the enormity of the situation hits him. He’s a speedster that can’t run. He can’t run. He can’t run. His mutation was his entire life. From being a Young Avenger (that wasn’t going to be possible now), to his job in that mutant courier firm (he was going to have to resign), to his identity within his complicated family. 

His family. Oh shit. Ren was only eight, but already he’d been joking about his mutation coming in and then racing his dad. He’d never be able to do that. He’d never be able to race his son. No more popping over to China for noodles. No more running to Spain for that hair stuff Kate loved. No more.

He sinks back into his bed, and stares at the ceiling. Weirdly the panic has gone now. He can hear Kate sniffing, as though trying not to bother him with her crying. Wordlessly he reaches out to her and she comes to him, climbing on the bed and curling around his body. He holds his wife in his arms and supposes he should be grateful that neither she nor the children had been hurt. And he does, feel grateful for that. But he has no idea of his place in the world now, no idea how he fits into his own life. And that thought terrifies him.

**Author's Note:**

> TW for amputation.
> 
> I actually cried at one point writing this, I have no idea why I make Tommy suffer so. I have a vague idea for a sequel that will hopefully make things slightly better. Anyone be interested in reading that? Let me know on tumblr, my URL is crumplelush there too.


End file.
